Mixing apparatus.



U. WEDGE.

MIXING APPARATUS.

APPLIUATIQN IILBD DEO.27,1912.

1,1 1 6, 1 82. Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

\ 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

' INVENTOR WITNESSES \gLETswEocE ATTORNEY HL NOW/HS PErERs co.. PHO7O-LITHO WASHINGIUN, n.

WITNESSES 735' U. WEDGE.

MIXING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 27, 1912 1 1 1'6, 1 82. Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

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I o 5 25 .4 5 M 5 r 5 676/ I 1 l l INVENTOR 676767 7 7676767 UTLEY WEDGE BY MS ATTORNEY U. WEDGE.

MIXING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED DBO. 21, 1912.

1,1 16,182. Patented Nov. 3. 1914.

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WITNESSE$ INVENTOR Maw UTLEY WEDGE BY ms ATTORNEY glaafwuuizw W W YHE NORRlSJETERS CQ. PHOTO-LITNO., IIASHINGTON. D. C

U'ILEY WEDGE, 0F ARDll/IORE, IENNSYLVANIA.

MIXING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

Application filed December 27, 1912. Serial No. 738,853.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, UTLnY Wnoon, a citizen of the United States, residing in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Mixing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide simple and effective means for mixing dif ferent kinds or qualities of pulverized, granular or lumpy material such, for instance, as different kinds of ore intended to form a charge for a furnace, such material being hereinafter referred to as granular. This object I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in whicha Figure 1 is a view, partly in longitudinal section and partly in elevation, of a mixing device constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same on the line a--o, Fig. 1; Figs. 3, 4;, 5 and 6 are longitudinal sections illustrating different modifications of one of the features of the invention; Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on the line 5-4), Fig. 2, and F 8 and 9 are sectional views illustrating a preferred construction of one of the elements of the machine,

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, 1 represents a feed hopper, or the lower portion of a feed hopper, and2 a segregating hopper, bin or container below the same, this member of the mixing device being hereinafter, for convenience, referred to as a hopper. The lower end of the hoppcr 2 discharges laterally, through an opening 1 1, 1 onto a horizontal shelf 13 and with the latter cooperates an endless conveyor 3 carrying a succession of flights 12, said conveyer delivering the material from the shelf 13 into a bin or hopper 1. The hopper 2 is divided by a series of vertical partitions 5, 5, into a pluralityrof groups of relatively narrow chambers, two of these groups of chambers being shown in the present instance, the chambersof one group being numbered 6 and those of the other group being numbercd 7 and a chamber of one group alternating with a chamber of the other group throughout the length of the hopper 2, as shown in Fig. 1. The partitions 5 are carried by a plate 20 mounted upon the inner side of the front plate of the hopper 2 and the partitions 5 are carried by a plate 21 mounted upon the inner side of the back of the hopper, either or both of these plates being laterally movable so that the partiings 24: and is provided with a sprocket wheel 25, one pair of nuts and the screw stem and sprocket wheel 25, one pair of nuts and the screw stem and sprocket wheel cooperating therewith, being spaced vertically apart from the other pair, as shown in Fig. 2, and the two sprocket wheels being connected by an endless chain 26 running over an intermediate idler or idlers 27 whereby both of the screw stems 23 can be operated in unison in order to move the plate 20 or 21 in one direction or the other.

Cooperating with the opening 14 is a vertically ad'jl'istable valve 15 on the front of the hopper 2 and said valve 15 carries series of supplementary valves 30, one for each of the chambers G and 7 of the hopper, these valves 30 being vertically adjustable on the main valve 15 so that the area of outlet from the chambers (3 can be regulated independently of the area of outlet from the chambers 7 and the volume of discharge of one kind of material thus governed independcntly of the volume of discharge of the other kind of material, depending upon the desired proportions in the mixed mass.

The hopper 1 has a valved bottom, the valves 8 alternating with spaces 9, whereby, when the hopper 1 is in one position, the valves 8 will prevent access from said hopper to the chambers 6 of the hopper 2 and will permit access to the chambers 7 thereof, as shown in Fig. 1, movement of the hopper 1, however. to the proper extent changing the relation of its valves and.

spaces to the chambers of the hopper 2 so as to cause the valves to prevent access to the chambers 7 of the latter and permit access to the chambers 65. The hopper 1 is provided with wheels 10 running upon suitably mounted rails 11 so that ready shifting of the same from one position to the other can be effected.

In operation of the apparatus the hopper 1 is set so that its valves 8 close the upper ends of the chambers of one group, say the chambers 6, and pulverized or granular material of one kind is then shoveled or otherwise fed into said hopper 1 and fills the chamt rs 7 of the other group in the hopper The hopper 1 is then shifted and powdered or granular material of another kind is supplied thereto and is fed to the chainb rs 6 of the hopper 2, which are filled in the same way as the chambers 7 were formerly filled. The valves 15 and 30 being properly adjusted, the material flows laterally from the lower portion of each of the chambers 6 and 7 onto the receiving shelf or platform 13 and the flights 12 of the conveyer 3 move said piles along overthe shelf and during such movement mix the contents of the piles so that in the mass which accumulates in the hopper 4, or is directed thereby to a. suitable pile, particles of one kind. of material are intimately commingled with particles of the other kind of material throughout the mass. Uwing to the relatively narrow dimensions of the chambers 6 and 7 and to the relatively small area of outlet from each chamber the units of each material flowing from the chamberstl and 7 onto the shelf 13 are of relatively small volume and are closely juxtaposed, consequently an intimate admixture of the different kinds of material in the storage pile or bin must necessarily take place even without the use of the conveyer 3, for supposing that the streams of material each of relatively contracted volume, flowing from the chambers 6 and 7 were permitted to fall directly from the hopper 2 onto the storage pile, these streams, being disposed closely side by side, would be commingled during their fall, or in their spread after striking the pile, and the desired intimate admixture of the different kinds of material would thus be insured. The flow of material from the chambers 6 and 7 of the hopper 2 continues until said chambers are emptied, or the supply, first of one kind of material to the chambers of one group and then of the other kind of material to the chambers of the other group, may be kept up during the time that said chambers are discharging, in case a continuous run of the apparatus for any considerable length of time is desired.

The means for directing the material to the dilferent chambers of the segregating hopper may be varied in many ways without departing from the essential feature of my invention, and in Figs. 3 to 6 I have shown a number of modifications of this feature of the invention.

In the construction shown in Fig. 3 the hopper 1 is stationary and a wheeled truck 16, having a valved bottom, moves between said hopper l and the top of the segregating hopper 2. s

In the construction shown in Fig. 4 the fixed hopper 1 has a valved bottom between which and; the top of the segregating hopper are interposed a series of swinging blades'l7 which serve to direct the material flowing through the spaces 9 either to the chambers 6 or to the chambers 7 of the hopper 2, depending upon the adjustment of said blades, the latter being connected so as to move in unison, and the entire series being operated by means of a single lever 18.

in the construction shown in Fig. 5 alternate partitions of the hopper 2 each comprise a fixed lower section and a pivoted upper section, said pivoted upper sections being swung as a unit by means similar to those employed for swinging the deflecting blades 17 of Fig. 4:, so as to cause either group of chambers to receive material from the hopper 1.

In the construction shown in Fig. 6 a fixed hopper 1 having a valved bottom is used, and the entire segregating. hopper 2 is mounted upon a wheeled truck 19 so that it can be'moved back and forth beneath the hopper l and either group of chambers therefore caused to register with the valves 8 or the spaces 9 of the bottom of said hopper 1.

Although I have shown and described a segregating hopper containing but two groups of chambers the number of groups may, when the partitions bear a. fixed relation to one another, be increased, depending upon the number of different kinds of mate-- rial whiclr are to constitute the mixed mass. The valved bottom of the feed hopper lends itself well to such multiplication of groups of chambers, the only modification necessary being to increase the width of the valves while still retaining the single chamber width for the spaces, thus in a segregating hopper having three' groups of chambers the valves 8 will" each be of the width of two chambers, in a hopper having four groups of chambers the valves 8 will each be of the width of three chambers, and so on.

By varying the relative width of the chambers in the differentgroups in the hopper 2, or by varying the area of outlet from the chambers of one group independently of the area. of outlet from the chambers of another group, or by the use of both of these means, any desired proportion of either of the materials to be mixed may be provided in the final mixture.

In order to insure the complete discharge of material from the'hopper 1 the valves 8 may be of inverted V-shape, as shown for instance at 8 in Fig. 8, or may be provided with inverted V-s'haped plates or blocks, as shown at 8 in Fig. 9, so as to provide no surfaces upon which material can find lodgment.

1 claim l. The combination, in a mixing apparatus for granular material, of a segregating hopper having groups of chambers therein, the chambers of one group alternating with those of another group, means for supplying material first to the chambers 0t one group and then to the chambers of another group in said hopper and means for discharging material simultaneously from adjoining chambers of a plurality of groups.

2. The combination, in a mixing apparatus for granular material, of a segregating hopper having groupsot chambers therein, the chambers of one group alternating with those of another group, valve mechanism whereby material may be directed to the chambers of one group whilethe chambers of another group or groups are out off therefrom and means for discharging material simultaneously from adjoining chambers of a plurality of groups.

3. The combination, in a mixing apparatus for granular material, of two members, namely a segregating hopper having groups of chambers therein, the chambers of one group alternating, with those of another group, a valve structure for cutting oft the supply of material to the chambers of one group while admitting it to the chambers of another group, one of said members being movable in respect to the other so as to vary the relation of the valve structure to the groups of chambers in the hop per and means for discharging material simultaneously from adjoining chambers of a plurality of groups.

4. The combination, in a mixing apparatus :t'or granular material, of a segregatinghopper having groups of chambers therein, the chambers oit one group alternating with those of another group, means for independently supplying material to the groups of chambers, and means for simultaneously discharging material from adjoining chambers of a plurality of groups.

5. The combination, in a mixing apparatus for granular material, of a segregating hopper having groups of chambers therein, the chambers of one group alternating with those of another group, means for independently supplying material to the groups of chambers, means for simultaneously discharging material :from adjoining chambers of a plurality of groups, and means for regulating the discharge from the chambers of one group independently of the discharge from the chambers of another group.

6. The combination, in a mixing apparatus for granular material, of a segregating hopper having groups of chambers therein, the chambers of one group alternating with those of another group, means for independently supplying material to the groups of chambers, means for simultaneously discharging material from adjoining chambers of a plurality of groups, and means for regulating the size of the chambers of one group in respect to the chambers of another group.

7. The combination, in a mixing apparatus tor granular material, of a segregating hopper having groups of chambers therein, the chambers of one group alternating with the chambers of another group, means for independently supplying material to the groups of chambers, means for simultaneously discharging material from adjoining chambers of a plurality of groups, and means for independently regulating the area of discharge from the chambers of each group.

8. The combination, in a mixing apparatus for granular material, of a segregating hopper having groups of chambers therein the chambers of one group alternating with the chambers of another group, means for independently supplying material to the groups of chambers, means for simultaneously discharging material from adjoining chambers of a plurality of groups, and means for conveying said discharges away from the points of discharge.

9. The combination, in a mixing apparatus for granular material, of a segregating hopper having groups of chambers therein, the chambers of one group alternating with those of another group, means for feeding material to said groups of chambers independently of one another, means for simultaneously discharging the material. from adjoining chambers of a plurality of groups in a lateral direction onto a receiving shelf, and means for removing said discharged material from said shelf.

10. The col'nbination, in a mixing apparatus for granular material, of a segregating hopper having groups of chambers therein, the chambers of one group alternating with those of another group, means for supplying material to said groups of chambers independently of one another, means for laterally discharging the material from adjoining chambers of a plurality of groups onto a receivingshelf, and an endless conveyer operating above said shelf and serving to remove the material therefrom.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

UTLEY WEDGF.

Witnesses:

Ka'rn A. BnAnLn, HAMwroN D. TURNER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O. 

